Russian Blue
by Tafar
Summary: On an away mission, Chekov has a rather unfortunate accident thanks to youthful curiosity. It’s up to Sulu to see him through it.
1. Curiosity Killed the Cat

Russian Blue  
Chapter One: Curiosity Killed the Cat  
Rating: K – T  
Pairing: Sulu/Chekov

Story Summary: On an away mission, Chekov has a rather unfortunate accident. It's up to Sulu to see him through it.

~****~

The room Chekov awoke in was remarkably reminiscent of something from one of those old 20th century horror flicks Captain Kirk was so fond of. It was dark. Chekov's pupils were heavily dilated and he couldn't see beyond his own nose. He had no idea how large the room was (or how small for that matter). He was unable to see even what shape the room was, never mind where the nearest escape route might be found. The back of the navigator's head burned slightly when he leaned it on the wall behind him, putting pressure on some half-formed lump. Great. He was chained to a mysterious wall AND he had a goose-egg on top of all else. It was shaping up to be a pretty phenomenal away mission so far.

Apparently Chekov's sarcasm flared when he was incarcerated and in pain.

The planet was supposed to have been completely devoid of life-forms bigger than a toaster. The mission itself was simple: Go down to the planet surface, survey the various mineral deposits in the quarries, then return to the Enterprise for further analysis. The Enterprise crew had seen more harrowing missions and survived. None of them had ever anticipated that something so insanely SIMPLE would cause so much trouble once all was said and done. Wasn't it just LUCKY that one of Chekov's first chances to join a Landing Party was the freak exception to the as-of-yet established rule?

It had been Chekov, Spock and a young female lieutenant from the Sciences Division on the surface. Spock had come to oversee the geo-sciences work that the Lieutenant would be working on and Chekov had come down to earn a little bit of extra experience. Anyone with aspirations of Captaincy someday was required to have valuable hours like these under their belt and Kirk had finally decided shortly after the Russian's 18th birthday that it was time to get him in the field. Honestly, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. There had been no peculiar power surges, nebulas, rogue space probes or random android crew members that usually heralded troubled waters on the horizon.

As a matter of fact, everything had been positively copacetic throughout the majority of the work. Things had only gone south when Chekov's inherent curiosity had pulled him away from Spock and Lieutenant Thompson. He had sighted a cluster of caves just a little ways behind them. Chekov was absolutely sure that no harm would come of a little bit of exploration on his own, so he had slipped off quietly, tricorder in hand, determined just to get a look at the inside of one. He remembered walking up to the closest of the cave openings and he remembered being distinctly surprised about…about SOMEthing…but what?

Shortly after entering the cave, something had struck him on the back of the head and it had done some damage to his short-term memory apparently. All Chekov could recall was some great epiphany before his world went black.

Now he was here, manacled to a wall with a lump sprouting on the back of his skull and no idea where the rest of the Landing Party was. At least the manacles weren't terribly uncomfortable. The little Russian boy didn't even know how long it had been or how far he had been taken. The most confusing thing, however, was HOW he had ended up in…wherever he was. After all, Mr. Spock's scanners hadn't detected any intelligent life-forms. What the hell had taken him if there was nothing sentient on this planet? The idea was a little bit less than comforting.

Chekov tested the strength of his bonds tentatively, wincing when his efforts brought the room to startling life. A low alarm went off, whining and strident in his already pounding ears as the lights came up. They were the harsh, sterile lights of a hospital or a laboratory. It made the Ensign wince as he fought to duck his head down and hide from the startling intensity of them. It ratcheted up the pain in his head to near-hangover levels and he groaned. He squinted at first, still unable to take in his surroundings as he fought through the veil of muffled agony.

"Forgive the level of the lights. These eyes are not what they used to be. Now then…let's see what we've got here."

With those words, Chekov felt a hand, shaking with age, on his chin. It turned his pale face this way and that, trying to get a clear look at him, "Hmm-mm-m. I had hope for a bit of a STRONGER specimen for the inaugural run of this experiment, but I suppose I must accept when I catch. I doubt the woman would have fared better…and the machines aren't calibrated for a Vulcan. Most unfortunate."

Experiment. In Chekov's line of work, that was NEVER a good thing to hear…especially not when one was locked to a wall. His blonde eyebrows rose up in marked disquiet. His mouth opened as he attempted to ask a question, only to find it pushed closed again by the same shaking hands.

"Ah-ah! I understand you have a great deal of questions. I'd be confused too if I were in your situation. However, I fear we haven't the time. Your companions will come searching for you soon and so I must act with the utmost haste. Provided all goes well, you won't be harmed. Why, if all goes according to plan, you may even be returned to normal soon!"

Shit.

The consciousness that had just recently been gifted back to him was taken away all that swiftly in a wave of nauseous light. The sensation was accompanied by a splitting, mechanized trill from some sort of robotic equipment. The sensation that followed was almost like beaming, but instead of the scrambled nothingness of non-being, he just felt scrambled. It was cliché, but he just didn't feel like himself! Then again…if his only problem was a feeling of vague displacement, Chekov supposed that he was getting off light on the 'Mad Scientist Spectrum'.

The Russian Ensign only hoped he survived long enough for Kirk to be royally pissed at him for getting himself into this situation.

~****~

It took Commander Spock ten minutes after Chekov's abduction to realize that the Ensign was gone.

If the Vulcan was troubled by this startling lapse in general awareness, he didn't show it. After all, he had been quite absorbed with a fascinating ore sample he and Lieutenant Thompson had managed to uncover. Spock hadn't bothered to consider that Chekov wouldn't have the good sense to just stay put. The boy was an accomplished member of the Bridge Crew. It would have been an illogical waste of mental energy to concern himself with the very idea that the intelligent young man would break protocol long enough to disappear into an alien landscape. He was reconsidering that variable now, however.

Lieutenant Thompson's voice spoke near his left elbow, "Commander, Ensign Chekov doesn't register on any of our scanners. Everything is displaying exactly as it did when we first landed on the surface…no life-forms aside from you and I."

"Your statement is not entirely accurate, Lieutenant. When we landed, we had Ensign Chekov and now we do not. Therefore, everything is not displaying as it did when we first arrived," Spock corrected in a mild dead-pan.

"Well where does a healthy young man's energy signature just disappear to, Commander?"

Arms folded stiffly behind his back, Spock surveyed the landscape, "There are several answers to your query, Lieutenant. The most immediate is that the Ensign has died. In death, there would no longer register as a life-form."

Thompson winced at his formal tone, venturing, "Well sir, what other answers could there be?"

"It is entirely possible that there is something in the caves over that ridge that impedes the operations of our scanners. Had the Ensign wandered into the caves, he could be completely well and we simply cannot detect him."

"Then maybe we should go look in the caves?"

Spock's aristocratic eyebrow rose, "If the latter theory is true, surely Mr. Chekov would have reported back by now. If it is true that the caves mute scanner effectiveness, it is also possible that it conceals a hostile civilization. He may have been abducted, in which case we must be prepared to face his captors."

Tugging at the hem of her uniform dress, Thompson sighed and tried to look patient with her superior, "Still, going and searching for him DOES seem the best choice, sir."

"Indeed. I was merely acquainting you with all the possible outcomes of Mr. Chekov's situation," Spock replied, his long legs already carrying him over to the caves. He didn't look to see whether or not Lieutenant Thompson was following him.

Still slightly astounded by the hyper-logical reasoning of her superior, Thompson tried to keep up with his quick clip. Oh she'd heard about him through the grapevine, but in all honesty, she'd never actually worked with the man before. He spent the majority of his time on the Bridge and she spent most of her work hours in a lab on one of the lower decks. So far being in contact with him had been a singular experience. She hadn't imagined that anyone could sound so…detached when it came to another crewman. It didn't bother her, per se…it was just novel.

Tricorders sweeping low as they walked towards the first cave, Spock's eyes were glued to the readings as though they were the most interesting thing in the universe, "Fascinating. There is nothing that suggests any geological makeup in this cave which differs from your Earth."

"So Chekov…?"

"I cannot say as of yet, Lieutenant. We do not have a body or any evidence which indicates that he has passed, so I cannot properly pronounce him dead. Nor have we proven that any minerals in this cave inhibit the use of our scanners. Therefore we cannot deduce that he is hidden in this cave. Most peculiar."

Fingering her tricorder fitfully, Thompson tried, "Maybe another cave?"

"Unlikely. Disruption of groundcover indicates that he travelled into this cave and only this cave," Spock cut her off.

"I'm going to try a little bit deeper in, Commander," Lieutenant Thompson said with great conviction, never a woman to sit idly by and ask to be told what to do every step of the way. It was part of the reason she'd been assigned to this particular away mission.

"Lieutenant," The Vulcan began and Thompson stared at him in confusion as he held out one hand, motioning to a spot in her path.

She followed his gesture with avid green eyes, blinking in confusion at the sight waiting for her. Looking quite drugged and bleary, a little yellow cat stumbled into the narrow passage, fur rumpled and eyes half-lidded. It was woozy and unstable on its feet, eventually collapsing over onto its side before it could reach Lieutenant Thompson. Both Spock and the Lieutenant could only watch as the animal lay on its side in the dirt, panting and flexing its paws. The Vulcan Commander was ultimately perplexed by the situation while Thompson was more moved to action, walking over and carefully picking up the small animal.

She sounded amazed, "Why, Commander…it looks like an Earth cat."

"Appearances are often deceiving, Lieutenant," he chastised as he reached for his communicator, setting it on the Enterprise's frequency, "This is Spock to Enterprise. Enterprise, do you copy?"

::Kirk here, Spock. What's going on down there?:: The Captain's easygoing tone drifted out from the small box and his First Officer resisted the urge to sigh at the lack of decorum.

"Captain, Ensign Chekov has disappeared and we find ourselves in possession of what appears to be a Terran Feline. I believe it would be prudent to have the animal decontaminated and examined by Doctor McCoy aboard the Enterprise."

::…Wait. You lost Chekov…but you're worried about a cat?::

"Captain, surely you recognize the oddity of locating an animal native to your planet on a yet-unexamined world."

Spock could practically HEAR Kirk pinching his sinuses, ::I fail to see how this is more important than the loss of one of my senior Bridge staff.::

"The two instances may present a correlation, Captain. The unexplained loss of Ensign Chekov coupled with the likewise unexplained appearance of an Earth cat, when properly investigated, may prove to be most telling."

::So you're saying that you don't think it's a coincidence.::

"That is what I was attempting to intimate, Captain," Spock sounded as though he were attempting to explain 'Dick and Jane' to a mentally handicapped toddler.

A sigh from Kirk's end came through the communicator and Spock felt his lips quirking as the Captain responded, ::I'll have the cat beamed aboard and sent straight to one of the Sickbay labs. I'm going to ask that Lieutenant Thompson return as well. I'll send down a Security Officer to replace her.::

"Very well, Captain. I shall see that she is prepared to beam up. Spock out."

Behind him, Lieutenant Thompson already had the cat in her arms and had moved to stand a little bit away from the Vulcan Commander. She had all the samples they had taken on the planet surface tucked safely into her haversack, "Ready to beam up, Commander."

~****~

Nearly an hour later and there was still nothing from the surface regarding the whereabouts of their bite-sized Russian navigator. Kirk was growing increasingly restless about this fact and had voiced his desire to beam down and aid the search multiple times. Spock, overprotective bugger that he was, wouldn't hear of it and had Kirk so inundated with rules and regulations that the Captain gave up his desires just to save his poor ears. It didn't stop him from sending down more security personnel though, no sir, nor did it stop him from fidgeting almost incessantly in his seat. One or two members of the remaining Bridge Crew found his discomfort amusing on some level. Sulu, already fit-to-be-tied over the loss of Chekov, just found it incredibly irritating.

Keeping the same level of genteel control that he usually exhibited, the helmsman breathed in and out deeply before closing his eyes, "Captain, maybe you should go see Doctor McCoy."

"Sulu, I'm not sick," Kirk replied in an agitated tone.

Another calming breath, "No, but wasn't McCoy supposed to be examining the cat they found on the surface? You may want to go check up on that."

"Oh…oh right," Kirk took the subtle hint the Japanese man was leveling at him, "I guess I'll be off. Good old Bones gets too wrapped up sometimes. Gotta go make sure he hasn't found something important and forgotten to tell us, right?"

Kirk pushed himself up out of the Captain's chair, dutifully handing over the Conn to Sulu before disappearing into the Lift. Of course everyone still on the Bridge was well aware that McCoy would never forget to mention something important. They knew, if it could be helped, the good Doctor would have charged down to the Bridge himself with any crucial information. However they were also very aware that Kirk needed SOMETHING to do right now. The Captain was very much a man of action and he had never been terribly skilled at playing waiting games. A quick run down to the Sickbay would be good for him right now.

Even McCoy was aware of the nature of Jim's visit as the man strode into his medical bay roughly eight minutes later (even though he endeavored not to show it), "Damnit Jim, do you ever knock?"

"Guess my momma never taught me better. Bones, what can you tell me about that cat?" Jim got right down to the point, walking over and leaning against one of the beds up against the wall. He had his arms folded akimbo, one leg jigging up and down impatiently.

The doctor sighed, tugging on the bottom of his smock, "Well for now, it's just a cat."

"…For now?"

The southern doctor's lips pulled into something that might have been a grimace, "I think you might wanna come get a look at this, Jim."

His curiosity piqued, Jim could do nothing but follow after the doctor's swiftly disappearing back. Surprisingly enough, they didn't go into one of the labs or even into one of the operating bays. Instead, they went into Bones's office. There on his desk, the peculiar yellow cat was stretched out in a sedated sleep amongst the piles of PADDS, its small limbs limp with deep artificial slumber. Despite the weight of the situation, Jim couldn't help but thing that it was…cute. He shook himself firmly as Bones walked over and picked up one of the assorted PADDs full of numbers and diagrams that Jim, quite frankly, didn't understand.

"So…about that whole 'for now' thing…?" Jim prodded verbally at his CMO.

"Don't be so damn impatient, kid. I'm getting to it. Basically, I decided the easiest way to figure out what we were dealing with was to do your basic, run-of-the-mill DNA test on the cat. At first, readings said that it was just a common housecat, weird as that sounds considering where it was found," McCoy explained after rolling his eyes.

"Light years away from any Earth Colonies?"

"Exactly."

Jim rubbed his forehead, "So explain the 'at first' part."

"That's just it, Jim. This thing's DNA…it's MORPHING. The first time I checked it out, it was one-hundred percent feline. Over the course of the past hour though it's been…changing. It's been happening very, very slowly…everything rearranging at a molecular level…but still happening."

"…What is its DNA changing over to?" Jim suddenly felt inclined to take a step back.

"Human, Jim!" Bones let out an exasperated snort and thumped the PADD down on the desk, "If this genetic transformation keeps going, we're going to have a fully fledged human on our hands in about two weeks."

"So you're trying to tell me that - ."

There was a sharp 'ping' noise in the background, cutting the Captain off. Bones went back to a computer terminal on his desk, scrolling over what he had found and blinking in surprise. Immediately, Jim was peering over his shoulder, "What is it, Bones?"

"…I had a hunch. I ran the emerging human genetic patterns through our crew's database…"

"AND?!"

The Doctor shook his head, knotting fingers up in his thick brown hair, "Get Spock up here and get us the hell away from this planet, Jim. We've found Chekov."

~****~

Sulu was deeply confused. Everything seemed to be happening so quickly. Not twenty minutes after going to see Doctor McCoy, Spock had returned to the Bridge looking as unconcerned as ever. He had come alone. No Chekov. That being the case, Sulu had wondered why the man had even returned at all. Had something horrible happened down on the surface? What had they found and why the HELL weren't they telling him anything about it? Was his Chekov okay?

He wasn't given much time to ponder over it before Kirk's voice drifted out over the intership communications system, ordering that Sulu report to his quarters immediately. Naturally, the man had obeyed, but the order had done nothing to alleviate his confusion. As a matter of fact, it had only served to exacerbate it. Now, on top of being mortally worried over the state of his tiny Russian boyfriend, Sulu was also wondering just when the world had gone completely insane. His mind remained a whirling tumult of chaos no matter how hard he tried to find his center on the too-long trip to his quarters. He could only imagine that Kirk wanted to speak to him so privately to tell him terrible news.

The helmsman could feel his heart sinking as he reached his door and thumbed the access code.

The last thing he'd expected was the yellow cat that had run up to him, pawing frantically at his ankles and looking up at him desperately with massive blue eyes. The animal let out plaintive mewls, batting at him and succeeding in getting pale fur ALL OVER his regulation uniform pants. He might have been annoyed if he hadn't been so utterly perplexed by this development. The asian helmsman leaned down and picked the cat up, trying to examine it even as the animal squirmed to get closer to him, cuddling against his chest. At least Sulu liked animals…

Kirk's voice came from inside, "I recommend you come inside with him, Sulu. We've got A LOT to talk about."

Still baffled beyond belief, Sulu stepped inside, still cradling the cat as the door hissed shut behind him, "Captain? Why is Commander Spock back on the Enterprise? Have they found Chekov?" He didn't think to ask about the cat yet.

"Yes, Mr. Sulu. We found him," Captain Kirk sighed, trying desperately not to look amused, "We're leaving orbit as we speak."

"Can I…can I see him, sir?" Sulu fought to swallow the lump in his throat. If Pavel wasn't here right now, that either meant that he was laid up in Sickbay…or worse…

Kirk just shrugged nonchalantly, completely throwing the helmsman off, "Sure. I don't see why not."

"Well sir…where is he…?"

A grin split Jim's handsome features and Sulu couldn't help but feel like the Captain was taking the whole situation far too lightly. Jim was one of the people who was aware of the fact that Pavel and Sulu were a couple. How could he just shrug all this off and smile when he knew how very delicate this situation was for the distraught helmsman? Sulu frowned darkly and took a step forward to say something stern to his Captain when he caught Jim looking pointedly at the cat in his arms, that same silly grin written across his features.

When Sulu looked down, the cat purred and stood up, butting the top of its silky head gently against the helmsman's chin affectionately.

Sudden realization dawned on Sulu and he looked up slowly at Jim who was still grinning to beat the band, "Yup. You guessed right, Mr. Sulu. Don't ask how it happened, because McCoy and I have no idea."

"Captain! If this is Chekov, then why are we leaving the planet? We have to take him back down there and get him to normal!" Sulu suddenly seemed a lot more protective of the animal in his arms.

"Easy, Mr. Sulu!" Jim held up his hands in a placating gesture, "He'll be back to normal on his own. Bones says that whatever changed him was done so quickly that it didn't really 'take'. His natural DNA patterns are re-writing themselves and he should be back to human in about two weeks with no problems other than growing pains. I figured that since he was your boyfriend, you could have the honor of taking care of him until he's back to his old self again."

Hikaru took a steadying breath, subconsciously scratching behind Pavel's ears, "I'm still not sure we should be leaving, Captain. Shouldn't we try and discover what actually did this?"

"I'm afraid of what will happen if I send more crewmen down there, Sulu. I don't even want to KNOW what Scotty or Spock would come back as," Jim flashed another devil-may-care grin at Sulu, "We're bound for the nearest Starbase to make our report. We'll let Starfleet figure out what to do with the place. For now, all you need to do is worry about taking care of Chekov."

"Aye sir," Sulu said, still utterly mystified as he watched the Captain saunter out on his way back to the Bridge.

Once he was gone, Sulu sat heavily on his bed, almost collapsing. He was careful to keep Chekov close to his chest so the cat wouldn't be jostled too much. The helmsman looked mournfully down at his boyfriend and mused bitterly over the whole situation. He had been waiting patiently for months just to ask the boy to join him in his bed one night, but not like this! He had hoped that having Chekov in his bed for the first time would be a little bit more romantic and a little bit less…fuzzy.

He caught the cat giving him an almost mournful look, poking the animal gently on the nose, "Well Pasha, I'd hoped our first night together would be more special."

The Chekov cat leaned up and pressed his cool, wet nose to Hikaru's. Trapped inside his mind, Pavel could only grouse, _'Trust me, Hikaru…this is about as special as it gets.'_

The pouty Russian suddenly felt the warm pressure of Hikaru's fingers massaging firmly behind his ears, carefully pinching the loose skin of his scruff. Ooo…oo that was GOOD. Without realizing what he was doing, the navigator began to knead at Hikaru's chest with his small claws, purring and arching his back. It was completely and totally undignified, but oh it felt so nice! He barely registered Hikaru's chuckle.

"Pasha, this is weird," Sulu grinned as he continued petting.

Still lost in a wash of pleasure, Pavel just slit his kitty eyes at his boyfriend, _'You're not the one with a tail, Hikaru. You have no room to talk.'_

Completely unable to hear Chekov's thoughts in this state or to even know that his boyfriend was capable of HAVING sentient thoughts at all, Sulu just replied playfully, "Don't look at me like that, Pavel."

The Russian turned cat just yawned a little bit and stretched, scratching Sulu a little bit with his claws now-quite on accident. He was exhausted from everything that had gone on and he would likely remain very tired thanks to all the changes that were being forced on his body. He was just lucky the whole mess hadn't completely damaged his molecular stability.

"…It's going to be a very long two weeks," Hikaru sighed softly.

'_Da. You do not know the half of it, Hikaru.'_

~****~

To Be Continued…

~****~

A/N: No, I have no idea where this came from. Yes, I think it's cute as hell. NO, there will NOT be bestiality, you bloody perverts! Sulu/Chekov is one of my favorite pairings for this fandom (next to Spock/McCoy) and I like doing little fluffy things with them. They're easily slash-able, but doing smut with them almost feels like pissing in front of a nun…especially their reboot counterparts.

Please enjoy! Chapter two is coming soon!


	2. Satisfaction Brough Him Back

Russian Blue  
Chapter Two: Satisfaction Brought Him Back  
Rating: K – T  
Pairing: Sulu/Chekov

Chapter Summary: One week into his internment in the cat body, Chekov is facing trials he hadn't ever expected. Awkward and out of sorts, all he can hope to do is make it through in one piece.

~****~

"Ow! Chekov!" Sulu hissed softly, drawing his hand back from his console to glare lightly at the cat perched near the top.

The cat glared right back at him, tail swishing like furry little bullwhip. The helmsman grumped at his boyfriend, "Chekov, I am SORRY that I forgot to feed you last night, okay?"

Kitty-Chekov pinned his ears back and growled softly, _'Da, well you are lucky. If I were any less of a man, I would have urinated on your uniform shirts.'_

Kirk snorted into the hand strategically placed near his mouth, trying hard not to laugh out loud at what he was seeing. Ever since the transmogriphication almost one week prior, Sulu and Chekov seemed to bicker a little bit more. Under normal circumstances, their arguments might have been disturbing, but as it was now, they were just funny as hell. Every day was a fight to keep balance on the Bridge, but at least it was amusing enough not to be an annoyance. Kirk was juggling to keep Chekov from flaying Sulu's hands, to keep Spock from banishing both of them to the Brig and to keep himself from encouraging their antics.

In all actuality, it was terribly unprofessional and the Captain knew that. However, Kirk was lenient at the best of times and the circumstances were certainly extenuating. In light of this, he allowed their little spats provided that it never distracted Sulu too severely. If Kirk saw things going south too swiftly, he'd send Chekov elsewhere to be babysat by another crewman. The only problem with that solution was the sulking that invariably followed. Pavel would pout on the Bridge in that special way reserved only for cats, staring daggers at the Relief Officer who had taken his seat at the navigations console until he had full use of his hands again.

Normally Chekov was an extremely well-natured and likeable young fellow, but something about being turned into a cat just brought out the worst in a person. He couldn't kiss his boyfriend, couldn't hug his friends, couldn't eat chocolate, was treated more like the Enterprise mascot than before and all this wasn't even taking into account that he had to bear the indignity of going to the bathroom in a BOX. The universe was laughing at him. Pavel hadn't been sure at first, but he became completely positive of it the day that Uhura decided to make a collar for him, a small black affair with a tiny Starfleet badge on the side. The stupid thing even had a jingly-bell!

On that day he had sworn that never again would to woman own a pair of stockings without runners in them.

He supposed that the worst part was the boredom. How did cats stand doing absolutely nothing all day? Sure, he could still work out complex mathematical equations in his head, but without hands how would he write them down? He couldn't work at his post without the dexterity of opposable thumbs (not to mention he couldn't reach the console from his chair anymore). Normally Sulu was the only reprieve he had from the soul-crushing humiliation of being a feline, but the silly ass had forgotten to FEED him the night before, compounding his misery. In revenge, he'd made a meal out of Hikaru's long fingers most of the day.

Bell on his collar all a-jingle, Chekov flopped lazily onto the console just out of Sulu's reach, _'Maybe you will pay more attention to me if you find one of your precious ferns regurgitated on your bed.'_

Ultimately, Chekov was glad that no one could hear his little inner monologues.

His head jerked back up and he eyed his replacement warily, watching as the woman made a small error. It made his stomach ill to watch her working. Huffing, Chekov stood and sauntered over to her station, batting at her fingers to try and make her draw back. She gave him a frustrated look and went to push him away. She wasn't one of the normal Relief Officers, so she wasn't familiar with Chekov the human. Chekov the cat was just a hindrance and an animal, so she thought nothing of dismissing him like one.

Pushing an already pissy cat was a bad idea.

It earned her a slap across the knuckles, four red lines drawing blood across the backs of them. Needless to say, she was displeased and made it known. Loudly. It made Jim frown from where he was sitting in the Captain's chair, realizing that the fun was over and it was time to get serious.

"Sulu, I think you need to take Chekov for awhile," Kirk announced, settling his face deep into the palm of one hand, "Chekov, go with Sulu, alright? Just try to calm down."

Being addressed as a human spared enough of the young Russian's dignity that he permitted himself to be picked up and carried to the lift. Sulu was gentle enough with him, so he allowed the transgressions of the previous evening to pass. Being dismissed from the Bridge was embarrassing, but it was more embarrassing to know that he had earned it. He buried his face in the crook of Hikaru's arm, nuzzling against the gold fabric of the Command shirts that he missed wearing so much. Pavel let out a small chuff like a sigh and he immediately felt warm fingers rubbing his scruff again.

Inside the privacy of the turbolift, Sulu spoke gently, "Don't take offense to this, but I think you should stay away from the Bridge for a few days, Pavel. It's just making you miserable to sit there while you can't do anything.

Chekov knew better than to feel betrayed. Sulu was just looking out for his best interests so instead of anger, he settled on licking the asian man's fingers.

"Am I being forgiven for last night's gaffe?" Sulu sounded amused.

'_Not so fast, Cossack,'_ Pavel corrected that oversight quickly with a sharp nip on his nearest finger.

"Owch!" Hikaru accepted it with a yelp and a laugh, "Alright alright…still not forgiven for forgetting to fill that insatiable belly of yours."

'_And don't you forget it,'_ the cat snorted at him.

The lift pulled to a stop and Sulu stepped out, holding his boyfriend close to his chest. He padded quietly along the hallways, taking paths that deliberately steered clear of prying eyes. For that, Pavel was infinitely grateful. For a long time, neither of them said or thought anything as they walked and the silence was companionable at the very least. At most, it was welcome and it gave Chekov time to collect his scattered thoughts before Sulu brought him out onto the Observation Deck in an attempt to relax the Russian. He knew that Chekov loved to watch the stars and had begun bringing him here frequently over the past week in an effort to keep Pavel sane in that furry body.

"You know, I don't think it will be too long until you're back to your old self again. You're already bigger than you were yesterday and your limbs are getting longer," Sulu stopped to think before teasing, "and not a minute too soon. I know I won't miss these little one-sided conversations of ours!"

Pavel shot him a glare, _'Bring me Mr. Spock. We'll see how one-sided they are then, wise-guy.'_

Hikaru ran a gentle thumb over his cheek, "You know I'm only teasing. Don't look at me like that."

Purring from the soft touch, Chekov arched his back into the hand, demanding to be scratched elsewhere. Obediently, Sulu's hand travelled over his spine, pushing against sore muscles with great care and rubbing itchy skin until the Russian was a puddle of pure delight in his arms. The helmsman figured that now was as good a time as any to drop a little bit of bad news on his boyfriend. He sighed heavily and rubbed behind Pavel's ears, "…Doctor McCoy wants to see you tomorrow."

Immediately, the cat froze and turned an evil stare on him, _'What does he want with me?'_

Doing his best to look apologetic, Sulu continued, "I'm sure it's nothing big…just a basic check-up. After all, it's not every day that a crewman ends up mutating, right?"

Only moderately soothed, the cat's look turned downright pitiful. Having mercy on his love, Sulu sat down right there on the Observation Deck floor, cradling the ball of fur to his chest and trying to be as supportive as possible. It seemed to work. Chekov rolled up against his chest and did that weird kneading thing again that usually meant he was at least somewhat comfortable. The moment was awkward, but managed to be tender all the same, both of the young lovers turning to regard the stars that whipped by outside.

~****~

"Sulu, best I can figure, he's right on schedule," McCoy intoned the next day during Chekov's little examination.

Leaning back against the table where Pavel was stretched out, Sulu looked relieved, "That's good news. Is there anything special we should know?"

"Actually, there is. The next few days are going to be extraordinarily hard on Chekov's body. I suspect he's going to hit a major growth spurt and it's highly likely that his joints are going start reversing. It's going to cause severe growing pains for him and the sudden changes are going to impede his mobility for a time. My best recommendation is to get him settled in on a bed and leave him be for a few days until the process is over. He'll still have some changes left to endure once it's done, but he's about to hit the worst of it judging by the sudden elongation in his arms and legs," the Doctor explained in that honest southern drawl of his.

Sulu's brow furrowed, "That sounds pretty nasty, doc. Will it leave any lasting damage on his body?"

"This process is going to REDUCE the lasting damage on his body. Remember, all of this is just his DNA trying to get him back to normal."

"It all just sounds pretty miserable."

"Well I won't lie to you. This is gonna hurt like the dickens for him, most likely. Don't worry though; I wouldn't leave the kid high and dry. I'm going to provide you with some analgesics before it starts. They've been diluted for him," McCoy reached out to gently pat Chekov's back, scratching him just under the chin.

Chekov allowed it simply because he knew that, had he been human, the pat would have been on the head and it would have happened anyway. It wasn't belittling, it was just the good doctor's nature. Not to mention he had started feeling pretty puny after Sulu had carried him back to his quarters that night and he'd felt bad clear into today. It was more than anxiety. He suspected that the doctor's prediction was already coming true and he was feeling like shit because of that. It took the fight clean out of him and he hadn't even had the strength to object when Uhura had played with his bell in passing earlier that morning at breakfast.

He looked up just in time to see Sulu regarding him with concerned, loving brown eyes and it relaxed him, _'Don't look so scared for me, Hikaru. Please? Doctor McCoy said I'd be fine, silly. You'd better believe him or I'll shed all over your uniform pants.'_

McCoy caught the look that passed between the two and he rolled his eyes, trying his best to sound gruff and cantankerous, "Now you two, no hanky-panky in my Sickbay. You keep that illegal stuff to yourselves." He was inwardly pleased to see that his words cultivated a smile on Sulu's previously unhappy features, "Now then, best get him comfortable. I'll send Chapel down with the painkillers tonight after dinner. Shoo."

"Thanks, doc," Sulu shot him a grateful look before carefully scooping up Pavel and leaving the Sickbay.

As they left, McCoy just shook his head and walked back to his office to begin writing up the mile-long medical report the kid had managed to rack up for him. It was going to be a doozy and he'd be damned if anyone in the Surgeon General's Office actually believed a word of it, but he guessed that things could have been worse. After all, instead of Chekov being turned into a cat he might have been saddled with a dog version of Jim. He shuddered as he envisioned the drool, promptly locking the thought into the darkest, deepest recesses of his mind where it could never be found again.

~****~

Hikaru had been very careful about tucking Pavel into the bedcovers. He'd made a little nest so that the Russian could retreat from the light if it got too bright for him over the course of the next few days. He had ended up settling the boy in his room so he could check on him and make sure he was well at the end of his shifts every day. He didn't want people barging in on his poor boyfriend. He had done everything he possibly could, only giving up when he realized that the rest was all on his poor pasha.

The three days that followed were pure hell.

Every day, Sulu loathed leaving for duty, but he never took time off even when Captain Kirk offered it. Jim had already been so indulgent with them and he didn't want to push any further than he could. Besides, he was sure that his boyfriend would kick his head in if he ever found out that Sulu was shirking duties for him.

Every night was filled with sleepless screams. At first they had been purely animal, all yowling and screechy. They had broken Sulu's heart and he wanted to go to Chekov, but he knew touching his boyfriend in this tender state would only cause him more pain. After the second day, the cries had grown more human and that been more disturbing by far. Small Russian curses swam through the thick fog of whimpers and moans, each one like a knife against Hikaru Sulu's worn nerves. Then had come the SOUNDS. There arose a hideous cacophony of cracks, twisting pops and slithery hisses like a snake writhing over leather.

Listening to it all, Hikaru felt like he was trapped in his own worst nightmare. The only thing that made it infinitely worse was the knowledge that Chekov was LIVING the horror.

On the third day, everything seemed to stop.

That morning, Hikaru woke up to nothing but the sound of silence. It was more frightening than the awful cries from before and he immediately unfolded himself from his uncomfortable sleeping chair, dashing over to his bed and ripping back the covers. He was so scared that the agony had finally killed his pasha. He begged and pleaded with whatever fates were listening to let Pavel be okay.

As the blanket fell away, he was greeted with the first sight of a very-near human Chekov. He watched in awe as the sleeping youth drew breath in and out, his narrow chest rising and falling. It looked like he was just worn out from the strain of undergoing the bulk of metamorphosis. Sulu couldn't help the heavy sigh of relief that tore through him, his body sagging like a puppet with cut strings. He rested on his knees by the side of the bed, laying his arms across the mattress and taking the hand closest to him. He gave it a squeeze, unable to help himself.

Slowly, one red-rimmed crystalline blue eye cracked open, "H-Hikaru…?"

The helmsman felt a smile as bright as the morning sun splitting his features. He'd waited nearly two weeks to hear that voice and even though it was rough with overuse, it was still lovely, "Pavel…you're awake."

"Da…" the boy tried to smile and Hikaru couldn't help but climb onto the bed, reaching out to hold him close.

It hurt the Russian a little bit, but he didn't say anything about it, just glad to enjoy the feeling of an embrace without a wall of fur between them, "I missed zis."

Hikaru leaned forward to kiss him and stopped abruptly when something jingled under his elbow. He blinked and pulled it out, having to stifle a sharp bark of laughter when he realized it was Pavel's collar. It must have broken off during one of the growth spurts. The Russian boy gave it a hateful look full of malice and that clinched it for Sulu. He let the laughter out, rolling onto his back and dangling the collar from the tip of one pointer finger. It was just too hilarious not to laugh.

Between gasps for air, Sulu managed to choke out, "Oh god it really IS awful now that I see it off of you!"

"It vas awful vhen it vas still on me, Hikaru!" Pavel pouted at him, "I still cannot beliewe zat you let Uhura tormet me vith zat monstrosity!"

"Well, call it payback for shredding my best sweater."

"You deserwed that for not giwing me chocolate in my time of need."

"Sorry, Pavel…doctor's orders," Sulu looked smug as he got the last word in.

Chekov just glared at him with those pretty blue eyes and the helmsman's insides melted with delight. His gaze drifted upward into the beautiful mop of blonde curls that he had missed running his fingers through so much. Then, his focus continued to drift until he found himself staring at what was perhaps the most adorable and strange thing he had ever seen in his life. He clapped a hand over his mouth to avoid laughing at his pasha again, but Chekov still caught the look.

His blue eyes narrowed, "Vhat is it, Hikaru?"

Fighting down a snort, the other man pointed, "You…your head…you still have cat ears!"

The already impossibly large blue eyes widened even more and slowly, oh so slowly, Chekov reached up to the top of his head. First he felt the sides, quite distraught to discover that his human ears weren't where they should be. He felt a twitch on the top of his scalp and his hands followed the movement, grasping at the pointed formations he found there. They twitched under his fingers and he turned remarkably pale.

"Oh nyet…no…zere is no vay!" Chekov tried to argue with himself before scrambling out of bed to go examine himself in the mirror.

His boyfriend admired the view of his naked body springing up on TWO legs instead of four, tracking him with his eyes until he noticed something that had him laughing all over again. He didn't even bother to contain this round and Chekov had a sinking feeling that he knew why. The Russian reached down to grab at his butt, hissing in dismay when he found that he still had a tail as well as ears. He wasn't sure whether to cry or to hide under the covers again. Feeling light headed, he stumbled a bit, blinking when he realized that Sulu had been up in time to catch him and wrap him in a protective hug.

"Ze ozers are going to laugh at me, Hikaru!" Pavel whimpered, still feeling achy from all the trials his body had seen.

"Pavel, let them laugh. It doesn't matter. I still loved you when you were a cat, so a few little temporary things aren't going to bother me. I hope that my opinion matters a little bit more than people who don't share your bed every night," Sulu's tone was light as he planted a kiss on top of his boyfriend's head.

Pavel wiped at his eyes to make sure he wasn't about to cry like a big baby, "Da. You do matter more...and I DO want to go back to the Bridge…"

"Do you want me to tell Kirk you'll be back on duty tomorrow? I think you need the rest of the day to let your body recuperate and catch up. I'm sure Doctor McCoy would agree."

The Asian helmsman smiled gently when Pavel nodded his assent. It was good. None of this seemed to have traumatized his small lover too much in the long run and that was a relief. Demonstrating the same care from several days prior, Sulu helped his boyfriend back into bed and covered him up with a clean blanket.

"I have to go on duty now, alright Pavel? I'll be back at the end of my shift. Make sure to eat today," Sulu warned in low tones, still smiling.

He waited until his pasha's eyes closed before leaving to go to work.

~****~

By the end of his first day with the new appendages, Chekov was ready to kill himself.

It had all started in his quarters when he realized that he'd have to cut a hole in the back of all of his uniform pants just to accommodate the tail. Sulu had helped him, of course, but it had almost made both of them late. The Bridge itself had been a nightmare. The minute he'd shown himself Jim had been forced to bite his own fist to keep from guffawing at the spectacle his young navigator made. Laughter was embarrassing, but it was something Chekov supposed he could handle. Uhura had blessedly chosen just to stare straight forward and keep her mouth shut. Since Doctor McCoy had technically cleared Chekov for duty again, Spock had absolutely nothing to say.

Yeoman Rand's reaction had been the absolute worst. She had COOED at him!

For god's sake! He might have been a teenager with cat ears, but he was still an OFFICER! Officers did NOT get cooed at!

Absolutely red with humiliation after the blonde woman's display, Chekov had folded himself into his chair and stared dutifully at the controls. He buried himself so deep into work that he wouldn't hear if anyone else had any smart comments. He wished momentarily for the return of his claws so he could vent some stress on silly blond yeomen who didn't have the good sense to keep their loose lips shut. At least she hadn't tried to pet him. Chekov was sure that if he blushed any harder, he'd burst all the capillaries in his face and be permanently crimson for the rest of his natural born days.

Sulu had shot him sympathetic looks throughout the day. It was about the only factor that kept the hours from crawling by, especially after he'd started feeling decidedly feverish.

By the end of the second day, Chekov was ready to kill someone ELSE.

The ears and tail had shrunk down a little bit by the time Chekov and Sulu's shifts were over. The vertebrae were slowly merging back into his coccyx and the cartilage of his ears was being redistributed to its rightful place on either side of his head. People had stopped noticing and girls had stopped giggling. Well, maybe the girls had stopped giggling because he'd hissed at one of them…on accident…once. Whatever the case, both of the young men sat in the Rec Room together at the end of the long day and Chekov was willing to believe that his too-long stint in hell was almost over.

It seemed the only problem was that Chekov was getting sick. Ever since he'd come out of his room two days ago, he'd been sneezing quite a bit and his eyes were a bleary, watery mess. Sulu noticed that he'd been constantly congested and he worried that perhaps it was a side-effect of the genetic mutation. He'd watched his lover very carefully and had come to the conclusion that he needed to talk to Chekov about it. If the Ensign was letting himself get sick, then Sulu would drag him back to Sickbay if he had to take him kicking and screaming.

The helmsman had waited until they were both relaxed over a game of checkers to bring it up, "Pavel…can we talk about something?"

"Hm," was the short reply.

Clearing his throat, Sulu reached out and took one of his boyfriend's slim hands, "Over the past couple of days I've noticed that you've been getting sick, Pasha. You're a wreck and I'm worried. Sometimes it seems like you can't even breathe at night."

Chekov shot him a dead-pan expression, "I do nod vand do dalg aboud id."

"See, listen to how congested you sound! I really think you should go see the doc," Sulu squeezed his hand, trying to express the depth of his concern.

"Hikaru, dere iz nozzing ze dogdor can do to helb me," Pavel sneezed hard and his lover reached out to gently brush errant curls from his face with his free hand.

"How do you know he can't help you, Pasha?"

The younger man turned bright red again and he freed both of his hands, hiding his face behind them. He mumbled, "I just dow."

"Pavel…what's really going on?" Sulu gave him a sly look, realization slowly dawning on him.

"…I'b allergig…do cats."

Suddenly Sulu found himself snorting and grinning so wide that his face almost split in two, "…So you're allergic…to yourself?"

"I hade eweryding," Chekov whimpered, thumping his forehead down on the table.

Pushing aside their game of checkers to the side, Sulu leaned over the table slightly and stroked the top of his boyfriend's curly head. He smiled softly, reveling in the feel of those silken locks beneath his calloused fingers. The helmsman was careful to avoid touching Pavel's cat ears since they were literally a sensitive subject, but he still couldn't deny how cute they were. He'd be a little bit disappointed that they were gone. He tried to cheer Chekov up.

"You know, as soon as those ears and tail are gone, you'll be fully human again. We should celebrate. I know a certain someone who hasn't had his fair share of chocolate lately."

The blue eyes that peeped up at him were glowing with hope and childlike excitement, "…Do you bead id?"

"We'll celebrate as soon as we reach the next Starbase, on my honor," Sulu crossed his heart.

~****~

To Be Continued?

~****~

A/N: I really like how this chapter ended up going (writing a congested Russian accent was hysterical). I'd like to give a big shout-out to each and every reviewer who helped me speed this chapter along! You guys were all wonderful and I just hope I lived up to expectation. I'm still not sure if I'm going to write a final chapter or not. Let me know?

Rose – It looked like you were right about the ears and the tail! I hope I updated soon enough for you!

Momiji'sunusedhalo – I'm so happy that you like the story so far and that my Pavel-Kitty reminds you of your kitty! Here's hoping you were as fond of this chapter as you were the first!

Blue-Eyed-Chica – I'm glad you like it!

Lady foxzy – Rock on :3


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